


Broken

by 9r7g5h



Category: Toy Story Series (Movies)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-20
Updated: 2013-01-20
Packaged: 2017-11-26 04:12:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/646438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/9r7g5h/pseuds/9r7g5h
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On the outside, it seemed like they had never been happier. But on the inside, they had never been more broken.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Broken

Standing there, the four friends could feel their hearts sinking as the sun began to set in west, casting a golden glow over the little town.

Or rather, what remained of it.

All around them, the remnants of the recent battle with the Evil Witch and Dr. Porkchop could be seen in the smoldering ruins of the jail house and school yard, in the terrified eyes of the villagers as they aimlessly wandered around, searching for family members and friends that they had been separated from during the chaos. In the distance, they could still hear the crying of Mrs. Potatohead as she hugged her two remaining sons close to her chest, her tears falling fast for the one that had been kidnapped, her husband standing a silent guard over her as he watched the four of them, waiting for someone to do something, anything, that would bring his child back to him.

It was Buzz who made the first move, exhaustion clearly etched onto his face. Cracks and scrapes covered his suite from his battle with that vial pig and his ten killer robots, all of which the space ranger had decided to take on by himself since he was the only one who wore any sort of armor. Although he had managed to remain alive, it would be months before he would be back in perfect working order again, time that none of them had to spare. If they wanted any chance of finding the boy alive, they had to leave now before the trail went cold.

That was the only thing they could agree on at the moment.

“You know we can’t all go, Sheriff. Someone has to remain behind to help rebuild the town. And that has to be you. The townspeople, they trust you, much more than they trust me. If you leave now, they’ll panic and be easy prey for the bandits that live here. You’re their leader, so lead them while I go get the kid!”

Opening his mouth to argue, to point out that, out of them all, Buzz was the most hurt and in need of the most rest, Woody paused as he saw the look in his second-in-commands’ eyes. Determination shone through the pain and tiredness that they were all feeling, though Woody was sure the ranger was currently holding the short end of the stick. The man could barely stand and most likely had a couple of broken bones, yet here he was, volunteering to go on a suicide mission that would have been difficult even if he was at full strength. They had never tried to infiltrate Evil Mountain, where the Witch and Dr. Porkchop lived in their Evil Castle, but if they wanted to rescue the little adopted Potatohead son, they would have to try.

“You’re right Buzz,” Woody admitted, surprising the other three people that stood around him. “You’re right, but you can’t go alone, not like you are. They’ll attack you as soon as they see you, and in your state, they’ll easily win. Then we’ll have to rescue you too. So what do you propose we do, huh?”

“Well, I’ll go with him, of course! Did yah really think I’d let my ranger go kick some villain behind without me, Brother? Besides, there is no way I’m gonna let those two goons hurt that lit’le fella!”

Turning to look at the girl besides him, Woody smiled slightly as he examined Jessie, taking in the sight of her post-battle weary form. Her hair had come undone at one point, falling into a flaming curtain that framed her pale face, just making the dirt and bruises that much more obvious. But just like Buzz, determination swept away the stiffness in her muscles and the sleep from her eyes, making her ready to ride out then and there to help save the boy. Nodding, Woody did the only thing left he could do.

“Go then, and keep each other safe. Get the kid, and if yah get into any trouble, just yodel. I’ll know where to find yah.”

Watching as the two of them took off, Buzz flying unsteadily through the cool night air while Bullseye struggled to keep up, Woody could not help the twinge of fear that encased his heart. Would he ever see his younger sister and best friend again? Or would the evil Witch and Dr. Porkchop finally win? It pained him that he would not be there to help, but as a familiar wooden staff fell across the front of his neck, Woody knew he would have to trust in his friends to save the day without him.

“They’ll be fine, Sheriff. I’ve never met a couple better suited for each other, and with the two of them covering each other’s back, they’ll be home with that poor little darling before we even really notice they’re gone. But right now, we need you here, Woody. Buzz is right. You’re our leader, the only one who can help pull us out of this mess.”

Turning around, Woody smiled softly as he stared at the shepherdess before him, her pink dress crumpled and torn and her alabaster skin stained with mud. But her blue eyes were the same as always, just as trusting and warm right then as they were when the world was at peace and their little town safe from the villains that surrounded them. Reaching forward, Woody gently pulled his girl into his arms, his eyes fluttering shut as her warmth helped to lift his burden just a bit. For a while they just stood there, taking comfort in the fact that they were both alive and well, before he nodded, ready to do what only he could. Pulling back, Woody took Bo Peep’s hand in his and pulled her towards where a small group of villagers had formed, waiting to be instructed by their Sheriff.

“Come on, Bo. There’s a lot of work to be done here if we’re going to get this town spick and span before Buzz and Jessie get back with Junior.”

“And that’s how we’re ending the story for tonight, guys! You all were great!”

Bonnie giggled as she placed her toys onto the ground before her, her eyes wide as she took in the battle field that was her bedroom floor. As her last playtime of the night before she had to go to bed, it had turned out to be one of her most interactive stories yet, filled with battles and chaos and all sorts of things her toys normally did not have to go through. But even though the story was far from being over, the clock had finally struck nine, signaling that it was time for her to end her day and go to sleep.

Gently picking up her newest doll, Bonnie carefully replaced her on the stand next to her three-headed sheep that was attached to her lamp, the porcelain woman almost glowing in the warm, buttery light. It had been two weeks since her mother had found the set at some second-hand pawn shop and had bought it for her, and Bonnie could easily say that she had never loved a piece of furniture more than she loved Bo Peep. A proper lady, the shepherdess providing the final thing that Bonnie had been missing from her life of toys and imagination: a love interest for her favorite Sheriff, Woody.

Pausing as a thought struck her, Bonnie once more detached Bo from her lamp stand, making sure to reassuringly pat each of the little heads before wandering off to the other side of her room, where she had set up a pile of boxes to be the mountain that her toys would have to climb in the morning. Leaning over to grab Buzz, Jessie, and Woody as she walked, Bonnie smiled as she carefully arranged the four toys into the couples she always imagined whenever she played with them. Buzz and Jessie sat leaning against the window together, their arms wrapped around each other in a shy yet loving embrace that perfectly captured the tentative newness of their relationship, seeing as how they had only been going out for the past three months since they had come to live with her. Woody and Bo, on the other hand, she placed laying across the window seat pillow, the stuffed cowboy holding the china shepherdess as close to his chest as he could, ecstatic to have found his love, one he would never let go of again. Smiling in satisfaction at the arrangements she had set up for her toys, Bonnie finally let out the tired yawn she had been holding in before returning to her bed, soon falling asleep as the day’s adventures caught up to her, keeping her mind company as she awaited another day of play.

For a long while, no one dared to move as they waited for the little girl to sink into the deep slumber that offered them safety in the night hours that they came to life, wandering through the house as they fulfilled their own secret agendas. It was Dolly, the toy Bonnie had decided to sleep with that night, who signaled that all was well, that they could finally move around without fear of capture. The moment he saw it, Woody pushed himself away from the shepherdess, his hands automatically brushing away the imaginary dirt he could feel crawling over him. Offering her his help to rise from the awkward position he had left her in, it was not long before he departed, once more without saying a single word. Sighing, Bo watched as Woody quickly scaled the bookshelves on the other side of Bonnie’s room, swiftly disappearing behind a woven basket someone had left up there long ago. Glancing over at the two toys that remained on the window seat with her, Bo finally decided that enough was enough. Tonight, she was going to get some answers, whether they wanted to give them or not.

“Could either of you two _please_ tell me what is wrong with the Sheriff? We’ve know each other for a full two weeks, and the man hasn’t said a word to me since I arrived. Now, it might just be me, but unless I’ve done some terribly wrong that I’m unaware of, that kind of behavior just seems perfectly rude, especially in someone who’s supposed to be a respected official. If it’s my fault, I would be happy to apologize for breaking whatever custom it is that you toys have here, but I do believe it is just common courtesy to let people know if they’re in the wrong. So please, what is going on around here?”

It was not in Bo’s nature to miss things, seeing as how it was often the littlest of signs that would lead her to wherever it was that her sheep had wandered off to, so it was easy to catch the wary look the cowgirl and spaceman shot each other, their eyes playing out an entire conversation that she was not privy to. She also noticed as the young woman, Jessie, if she had heard correctly, slightly jerked her head towards where she was standing, before shifting her eyes towards where the Sheriff had disappeared to. For a moment it looked like the space man, Buzz or something equally as silly as that, was going to refuse, but one hard glare from Jessie soon had him sighing in defeat as he nodded, his head hanging slightly even as she flashed him a brilliant smile. Standing up from his lap, the woman pointed her thumb over her shoulder at the ranger as she made her way over to the shelves, her head twisted slightly to deliver her directions as she walked past.

“Buzz will explain it to yah, since my brother can’t find it in himself to say the words himself.”

Trotting off, it only took the cowgirl a second to reach the foot of the bookshelf, her head tilted back as she examined the route her brother had taken just moments before. Pulling herself up through the maze of books and games, Jessie soon reached her destination, her high voice carrying its disapproving tone into the figurines’ hearing, though the words themselves were lost over the space that separated them. Turning her frustrated gaze away from the sulking cowboy and his enraged younger sister, Bo’s eyes fixed upon the space toy that shuffled before her, his own slightly glowing orbs examining the pattern that had been sewn into the cushion of the window seat.

“Mr. Lightyear, was is it? Please, tell me what’s wrong with the Sheriff. Perhaps I could be of some help to him.”

Shaking his head, Buzz sighed as he turned to stare at the shepherdess, his true emotions hidden behind clouded eyes as he motioned for her to join him closer to the window. Curious as to the explanation she was to finally receive, Bo eagerly joined him in looking towards the stars that shone above, their soft light barely illuminating the world below. For a long while the two of them just stood there, watching the heavens above move through its celestial dance as the night continued on, the sounds of their friends and family fading towards the background as the toys dispersed throughout the house to pursue their interests and hobbies. It was not until near silence had fallen over them that Buzz began to speak, his voice hoarse as he remembered.

“It’s simple, Miss Peep. Woody use to be in love with a Bo Peep figurine. They were together for almost fourteen years before the incident, and seeing you just makes it worse for him.”

“What is ‘the incident?’ What happened to the other Bo?”

“She broke.”

————————————————————————————————————————

When Bonnie awoke the next morning, she would find her toys exactly as she had left them: Buzz and Jessie snuggling against the window while Bo and Woody held each other close, refusing to let the other go for even a moment. When she saw them, she would see their wide smiles and joyful eyes, glad to be with the one they loved more than life itself. And when she would press their faces together in an awkward attempt at a kiss, she would only see the kind of passion and commitment that would keep them together for forever.

Bonnie would never notice the way Woody always kept as much space between him and Bo as he could, his arms loose and limp around her waist. She would never see the look of longing that shone from her cowboy’s eyes as she picked them up, the overwhelming sorrow as he looked at the shepherdess she held in her other hand, wishing that she was someone else. She would never have to look into those large brown eyes as they were pulled apart and watch as guilt ate away at him inside, barely concealed tears threatening to fall as he once more realized that the woman he loved was gone, instead replaced by her exact look-a-like that he was being forced to cheat on her with. The little girl that claimed to love them all so much would never have to wonder what it would be like to watch the one person she would give up her life for, the one she would reject heaven and crawl through hell to find, die right before her eyes, only for a copycat, someone with the same face, the same name, even the exact same voice walk right back into her life, mocking the love that had been lost. She would never have to feel that pain, but the toy she claimed to love would have to feel it every day for the rest of his life.

Bonnie would only ever see the family that she imagined they were supposed to be, whole and happy in their togetherness. She would never see that, behind their fake smiles and painted eyes, they were all more broken then they had ever imagined possible.


End file.
